On February 22, 2012, the Mexican authorities decided, after having conducted an expiry review, to continue the anti-dumping duty on imports of carbon steel plates from Romania, Russia and Ukraine (Resolución final del examen de vigencia y de la revisión de oficio de las cuotas compensatorias impuestas sobre las importaciones de placa de acero en hoja al carbono..., 22.02.2012).The products subject to the duty are classified under the following HS codes: 7208.5101, 7208.5102, 7208.5103 and 7208.5201. The rate of the duty is 67.6% for all Romanian exporters, 36.8% for all Russian exporters and 60.1% for all Ukrainian exporters.This definitive anti-dumping duty entered into force on the day following the publication of the resolution in the Official Journal of the Federation, i.e. on March 13, 2012, for a period of five years (from September 22, 2010 onwards).

This duty follows an expiry review requested on August 16, 2010 by Altos Hornos de México S.A.B. de C.V. A review was then initiated by the Mexican Ministry of Economy on September 13, 2010 (Resolución por la que se declara el inicio de los procedimientos de vigencia y de la revisión de oficio de la cuota compensatoria impuesta a las importaciones de placa de acero en hoja al carbono..., 13.09.2010). The review started on the day following the publication of the resolution in the Official Journal of the Federation, i.e. on September 22, 2010.In a preliminar resolution on November 15, 2011, the Mexican authorities announced the continuation of the review (Resolución preliminar de la revisión de oficio de las cuotas compensatorias sobre las importaciones de placa de acero en hoja al carbon..., 15.11.2011).

The original anti-dumping duty entered into force on September 22, 2005 (Resolución final de la investigación anti-dumping sobre las importaciones de placa de acero en hoja al carbono..., 08.09.2005).

On August 27th, 2015, the Mexican Ministry of Economy decided to initiate a second sunset review of the anti-dumping duty imposed on imports of carbon steel plates from Romania, Russia and Ukraine. This review follows the application lodged on August 14th, 2015 by Altos Hornos de México S.A.B. de C.V. The review started on the day following the publication of the resolution in the Official Journal of the Federation, i.e. on September 8th, 2015.The existing anti-dumping measure remains in force during the review.

On 8 September 2016, following the conclusion the above sunset review, the Mexican Ministry of Economy extended the current definitive anti-dumping duty on carbon steel plates from Romania, Russia and Ukraine. As such, the rate of the duty is 67.6% for all Romanian exporters, 36.8% for all Russian exporters and 60.1% for all Ukrainian exporters. The duty enters into force on 22 September 2015 for a period of five years.

On February 25, 2013, the company Altos Hornos de México S.A.B. de C.V. requested investigation to ascertain the existence of circumventing practices that would challenge the definitive anti-dumping duty imposed on February 22, 2012 on imports of carbon steel plates from Russia and Ukraine (see related intervention).

The petitioner argued that since the imposition of the above-mentioned anti-dumping duty, carbon steel plates containing boron - classified under HS codes 7225.4001 and 7225.4002 - started to be imported from Russia and Ukraine for the purpose of avoiding paying the anti-dumping duty on imports of carbon steel plates (classified under HS codes 7208.5101, 7208.5102, 7208.5103 and 7208.5201) mentioned above.

According to the petitioner, carbon steel plates containing boron originating in Russia and Ukraine have relatively minor differences in comparison to carbon steel plates, whose imports are subject to the payment of an anti-dumping duty. On May 10, 2013, the Mexican Ministry of Economy decided to initiate an investigation on the circumvention of the anti-dumping duty imposed on imports of carbon steel plates from Russia and Ukraine (classified under HS codes 7208.5101, 7208.5102, 7208.5103 and 7208.5201) by imports of goods classified under the following HS codes: 7225.4001 and 7225.4002 (Resolución por la que se acepta la solicitud de parte interesada y se declara el inicio de la investigación sobre elusión del pago de las cuotas compensatorias definitivas impuestas a las importaciones de placa de acero en hoja al carbono..., 10.05.2013). The investigation started on the day following the publication of the resolution in the Official Journal of the Federation, i.e. on May 23, 2013.

On December 20, 2013, the Mexican authorities decided to impose a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of carbon steel plates containing at least 0.0008% boron - of rectangular shape, rolled-up supplied, up to 4.5 inches thick, up to 120 inches wide, up to 480 inches long, weighing up to 6.250 kilograms per piece - from Russia and Ukraine (Resolución final de la investigación sobre elusión del pago de las cuotas compensatorias definitivas impuestas a las importaciones de placa de acero en hoja al carbono..., 20.12.2013). The rate of this definitive duty is 36.8% for all Russian exporters and 60.1% for all Ukrainian exporters. This definitive anti-dumping duty has entered into force on the day following the publication of the resolution in the Official Journal of the Federation, i.e. on January 9, 2014.

On September 8th, 2015, the Mexican Ministry of Economy initiated a sunset review of the anti-dumping duty imposed on imports of carbon steel plates from Romania, Russia and Ukraine (see related intervention).This follows the request lodged on August 14th, 2015 by Altos Hornos de México S.A.B. de C.V.Since the anti-dumping measure imposed on imports of carbon steel plates from Romania, Russia and Ukraine was extended to imports of carbon steel plates containing at least 0.0008% boron from Russia and Ukraine following an anti-circumvention investigation, the sunset review and its conclusion will hold for those imports as well.

On 8 September 2016, following the conclusion the above sunset review, the Mexican Ministry of Economy extended the current definitive anti-dumping duty on carbon certain steel plates containing at least 0.0008% boron from Russia and Ukraine. As such, the rate of the duty is 36.8% for all Russian exporters and 60.1% for all Ukrainian exporters. The duty enters into force on 22 September 2015 for a period of five years.